


When His Heart is Stolen

by Bluecow13



Series: Emperor Levi and his Loyal Slut Eren [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Badass Hanji, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Innocent Eren Yeager, Kidnapping, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 20:39:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13198134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluecow13/pseuds/Bluecow13
Summary: Harem AULevi and Eren have gotten much closer since Armin and Jean's betrayal and Eren is starting to figure out his deeper feelings for Levi. Before he can find out how he truly feels though, he is kidnapped by two men who see him as little more than a chance for a payday. Now Levi must save Eren before his kidnappers manage to escape and take his love with them.





	When His Heart is Stolen

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably the last part of this little series so I hope you enjoy it and I'm sorry it took soooooo long to write! Tell me what you think in the comments!

Silky sheets caressed Eren’s smooth legs as he relaxed into his mattress, taking in their somewhat unfamiliar feeling. He had spent so much time together with Levi in the past few months, relaxing and enjoying his company, that he hadn't realized how much time he had happily wasted away in Levi’s room and not his own.

 

Since Armin and Jean’s plot was discovered, Levi was all too happy to reward Eren with soft sweet kisses throughout their days as an ongoing treat for his loyalty.

 

No one had suspected the pair of anything before Eren spoke up and the brunet was the only reason Levi was still alive. Levi had been very grateful and began giving Eren little kisses throughout the day as a reward, but he melted whenever he saw Eren’s bouncy reaction to the kisses and he hadn't had the heart to stop, falling into a habit of goodbye kisses before he left to go to meetings like they were an old married couple.

 

Eren had been absolutely delighted when Levi started pressing soft kisses to his cheeks following his information protecting Levi from Armin's betrayal. Levi’s happiness was clear and Eren couldn’t stop basking in it, perking up whenever Levi had to go to a meeting because he got another tender kiss before they had to say goodbye.

 

Eren couldn’t stop smiling as he thought about how- (Dare he say it?) - _romantic_ their relationship had grown in the past few months.

 

Eren woke up most mornings curled into Levi’s arms before they got ready and went about their separate plans for the day, starting with a sweet kiss. Each day was different, but Eren usually got to spend time with the other concubines before Levi came to whirl him away again with a smile. At the end of the day, Levi and Eren would eat dinner together and relax before going to bed.

 

Their life in the bedroom also seemed to grow better from the new wave of affection.

 

_Smooth hands traced over Eren’s body with a firm caress, feeling the sides of his thick thighs with gentle squeezes. Levi’s mouth was firmly attached to Eren’s neck, biting and nibbling at Eren’s sensitive skin with a passion._

 

_Eren let himself lay there and be spoiled by Levi as he moved around Eren’s body. Luscious touches that traced up his legs began teasing his ass, a hand slid a couple of fingers between Eren’s cheeks to rub his hole in relaxed strokes._

 

_Eren let out a moan as Levi played with him. He always made sure Eren had fun in the bedroom, but this was different, it completely focused on him and everything that Levi could do to him to make him sing._

 

It was perfect for Eren and he couldn’t help himself from bragging slightly to Christa and Sasha who were always excited for new stories.

 

The only reason he was even in his own bedroom tonight and not cuddled up to Levi in his room was that Levi had a meeting with his sister that took him back to her kingdom and he wouldn’t be in the castle for another three days. Eren had tried sleeping in Levi’s bed without him, but it didn’t hold the same cozy feelings and he decide to just suffer Levi’s absence in his own room.

 

Having taken a long bath to unwind and gotten dressed for bed, Eren flopped into his four poster bed and wrapped the blankets around himself until he was little more than a ball. Levi had started complaining that Eren was a cover thief since they started sharing a bed more often, but his solution always seemed to be cuddling closer together would fix the problem which neither of them had a problem with.

 

Eren rubbed his legs together to try to get warmer, the temperature had gotten colder and colder as they moved into fall and winter, making the castle more drafty than usual and his room was no exception. He was only wearing comfy shorts and a loose shirt to bed because he ran warmer than most and he didn't want to get overheated once he finally got warmed up.

 

Eren’s eyes slowly slipped shut as he began to warm up, tendrils of sleep beginning to take him. His brain turned off as he fell into a hazy swirl of dreams, all about his Levi returning to him.

________________________

 

A cool breeze washed over Eren’s exposed cheeks and he opened his bleary eyes to find the source of his discomfort. As his vision cleared up he saw the double doors to his balcony open, sheer curtains moving in time with the gusts of wind.

 

As Eren’s mind tried to catch up with his eyes, the smell of rain invaded his nose. The dull pitter patter slowly woke him up as he finally began to focus and sit up from underneath his blankets.

 

There was no reason for a servant to come in and open the doors for him without orders, especially due to the poor weather that seemed to blanket the castle at the moment. The only light in the room was the dull shine of the moon through the drifting clouds and the rain acted as a strange white noise to fill the absolute silence of the night.

 

Eren’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stared at the doors longer, almost expecting this to be a strange dream. _Maybe the latch for the doors was just loose and they swung open?_ Regardless of the reason, the pale light of the moon was disappearing as Eren watched the storm grow more intense right in front of him.

 

Rain began to pour from the sky as the wind whipped it to and fro, finally convincing Eren to get out of bed and close the door before his room was soaked wet and freezing.

 

He slipped out of bed, wincing at the temperature of the cool marble floor, and strode over the doors to close them. His hand had barely made contact with one of the doors when something caught his eye on the railing of his balcony.

 

A grappling hook.

 

As adrenaline began to fill his body and the realization of what that meant crashed over him, a hand clamped over his mouth from behind him. His hands were quickly immobilized behind him in the stranger’s other hand and he froze, terror filling his form.

 

A dark chuckle next to his left ear reverberated through Eren’s body as he began to tremble and tears filled his eyes. His heart was firing at a thousand beats per second and his brain had gone blank except for three unhelpful thoughts.

 

Intruders.

 

Grappling hook.

 

Break in.

 

Then a fourth, more panicked thought hit him. The invader came to his room out of all of them which meant one possibility he definitely didn’t want to think about. There would be only one reason to break into his room in particular, especially with the king out of the empire at the moment.

 

For him.

 

He finally began struggling in a weak attempt at freedom. The man holding him was far stronger than Eren was and didn’t seem to notice the struggle besides a small grunt at the sudden movement. Eren tried to let out a yell to alert the guards outside of his room, but the hands over his mouth and wrists stopped him from doing little more than flail his legs and whining in desperation.

 

The man quickly moved him onto the balcony where they were drenched in seconds from the now harsh beat of falling rain. Another man finished climbing over the railing as Eren was pushed outside, stumbling to a stop as the man behind him began giving orders to the second.

 

“Keiji, go through his stuff and grab whatever jewelry and shit you can find. Fill up your bag and get back out here as quick as you can, I need your help getting the kid down.”

 

The new man nodded and quickly disappeared inside as Eren violently tried to buck out of the man’s grasp. If he wasn’t free of the hold on his wrists and mouth before ‘Keiji’ got back, he wouldn’t be able to escape from them. He could barely hold up a fight against one of them let alone both at the same time.

 

His struggles got him nothing, but a grunt from the man behind him and Keiji soon reappeared, sealing Eren’s fate. Panic was coursing through Eren, making his head spin as he was trapped under the stranger’s mercy.

 

“I got everything I could find, Henning, now let’s go! We don’t need to take this little whore to still make a nice buck!”

 

The man behind Eren let out a growl before he responded. “Shut. Up. The plan was to take the slut all along and you knew it. We already have a buyer for him and if we flake out on him, he’ll have our heads on a platter! We’re sticking to the plan, now help me tie the little shit up!”

 

Keiji didn’t argue again, grabbing some supplies out of another bag on his hip before facing Eren with a dark expression. Eren’s eyes darted around looking for someone or something to save him, but there was nothing.

 

The hand on his mouth lifted, but before Eren could get a word out a rag was shoved in his mouth, gagging him. He tried to spit it out, but he couldn’t as they wrapped the rest behind his head and tied it in place. He kept trying to scream, but the rag in his mouth muffled his voice so that he couldn’t be heard over the low pounding of the rain.

 

His hands were quickly bound in rope, tying them in place behind his back so he couldn’t use them at all. Next were his legs as he tried to kick at them to make the men stop and let him go.

 

He was desperate and tried to free himself, but the ropes were tight and only cut into his skin as he struggled. His ankles were tied together as well as his knees, immobilizing them completely besides weak jerks that did nothing to save him.

 

The ropes were all extremely constricting, bruising Eren’s wrists and legs as he was thrown over Henning’s shoulder. He was carried down the side of the castle by the man who grabbed him, repelling with one hand on the rope and the other around Eren’s waist.

 

Once they were on the ground, Eren was hauled over to a pair of waiting horses and slung over one of them. Tears had begun freely streaming down his face as the hard reality of the situation  began to press in on him.

 

The two men had broken in while Levi was gone so that they could kidnap him and take him to some mysterious buyer. He was going to be trapped as a whore for a stranger for the rest of his life as his kidnappers escaped and lived in comfort from the money they made off of it.

 

He strained against the rope on his wrists, hoping for some magic way out, but it didn’t budge. He was truly trapped and at the will of his capturers.

 

Henning quickly mounted the horse Eren was on as Keiji descended down the side of the castle, pulled down the grappling hook, and hopped onto his own horse. Eren was lifted and seated side-saddle on the horse, a firm hand holding him in place, before they kicked their horses in gear and took off towards the outer castle wall.

 

The flicker of hope in his chest that a guard would see him and sound the alarm was dashed as the two kidnappers darted through the exit gate without a worry. The only men at the gate were a group of soldiers hiding from the rain under the cover of a nearby building, too busy gambling with each other to notice the men disappearing into the storm with Eren held captive.

 

His weak calls through the gag did nothing and he was forced to watch as he was ripped away from his home without anyone being the wiser.

 

The horses were powerful and they had entered the forest nearby less than an hour later. The castle, Eren’s home, faded from their view as the trees and rain blocked his vision. A coldness he hadn't noticed before crept over him and he sat on the horse, silently sobbing and shivering from the barrage of icy raindrops that slipped through the leafless trees.

 

Henning and Keiji had started celebrating once they got into the forest, thankful to have pulled off the heist. Eren just sat with a shell-shocked look on his face as everything he knew disappeared behind him and the dark forest swallowed the trio up in a haze of darkness.

________________________

 

Levi took a sip of whiskey from his glass as he relaxed into his chair and looked around the study. Mikasa had certainly redecorated since he had left all those years ago and the castle was much better for it. Art of old dead kings were taken down and everything was resigned around her rule.

 

Paintings and statues of her filled the hallways along with fine art she had bought in collections and galleries. The castle looked more like a celebration of life and power than a tomb of old rulers. Powerful certainly matched Mikasa’s rule well.

 

Mikasa wouldn’t let a single whisper about her ability to rule live if it could mean her demise. She was ruthless and controlling, but she knew the difference between a leader and a dictator and rode that line well. She was loved by her people, but no one thought that they could cross her and get away with it.

 

Levi couldn’t be more proud and he told her so as soon as they settled into the study for drinks and catching up together. They had gotten through the meetings and deals they scheduled for the day and decided to relax for the rest of their evening without any titles or roles getting in the way.

 

Mikasa sat across from him with a smile on her face. She had missed her big brother from her life, but she couldn’t be more thankful that he had left as well. If Levi had stayed, she would have been married off to a suitor as a political deal and would have been expected to play a meek housewife for the rest of her life while he got to rule their kingdom.

 

Levi knew that though and had left, giving Mikasa the space to be the ruler she always dreamed that she could be.

 

“How has Eren been?” Mikasa asked. Levi had sent her a letter thanking her for his gift, but he had always been a man of few words unless prompted and she hadn't gotten much information over the years.

 

Levi smiled as he thought of Eren waiting for him back home. He didn’t want to leave Eren behind and normally wouldn’t have, but the reason he was even visiting Mikasa was because there was a new bandit threat appearing and he didn’t want Eren to get hurt.

 

Bandits had started attacking merchants and social elites as they were traveling and it was causing both of them problems so they figured they should meet in person and figure out a solution. Levi had been worried and didn’t want Eren to get hurt so he left him in the castle where there were more guards to protect him from injury or danger.

 

“Eren had been delightful and he seems quite happy. He gets along well with everyone else and has been...quite well-trained.” Levi finished with a smirk.

 

Mikasa smiled at the last comment. “I was pretty jealous when I sent him off to you for your birthday, but I found someone new who has been _very_ entertaining.”

 

“Who?”

 

“I haven’t mentioned you to her before, but I got a gift from one of my nobles as a thank you for defending his territory from Trost. Her name is Annie and she is perfect. Smart and loyal, not to mention gorgeous. She is everything I could have asked for.” Mikasa’s voice dropped into a purr by the end of her speech, clearly enamored with the girl she was talking about.

 

Levi smiled at that, happy his sister had someone as entertainment when she was stuck in the castle for so much of her life, dealing with problem after problem that the nobles brought to her. “It’s good that you someone to unwind with, I never expected Eren to be such an integral part of my life, but here we are and I couldn’t be happier.”

 

The pair smiled at each other, peaceful silence filling the room with a happy warmth.

 

Levi sat forward in his seat and lifted his glass so Mikasa could meet his in the middle. “Cheers. To Eren and Annie.”

 

Mikasa clinked her glass against Levi’s with an eager force, “May they always be happy and healthy.”

 

They both went to drink as a messenger slammed the study door open with a hurried look on his thin face. Mikasa’s face twisted in anger at the disrespect of the man for bursting in, but the presence of the letter in his hand held back her temper for the moment.

 

“What is so important that you dare burst into my study while I have company?” Mikasa demanded as she stood and strode over.

 

Levi quickly followed after placing his drink on the table, whatever had happened must be important if the messenger was willing to risk his sister’s wrath.

 

The messenger trembled as he faced down both Ackermans at the same time. “W-We just received an urgent letter from L-Legion that you must hear immediately, your Majesties.”

 

Levi’s eyes narrowed at that, much more tense than before. He had left Erwin in charge and knew he wouldn’t be receiving a message with this kind of urgency unless sometime had gone terribly wrong back home. “Read it.” he ordered, impatiently waiting to hear what happened.

 

The man unrolled the message and quickly read it to the siblings.

 

“My Emperor,

 

           I am so sorry to interupt your family reunion, but this morning we discovered that Eren has gone missing during the night and evidence points towards a kidnapping. The large storm last night has made tracking almost impossible, but the men are looking for any clues. I have sent out troops to begin searching for him, but request that you return home or sent back a letter with further instructions on what to do. I wanted you to be alerted right away so I have sent out a falcon that should arrive by this evening.                                  

 

Your Loyal Commander,

                                                                 Erwin Smith”

 

Levi froze as the information washed over him in pieces. Time almost seemed to move in slow motion as he caught up.

 

_Eren is missing._

 

_Someone took him._

 

_They don’t have any clue where he is._

 

Suddenly, time was moving again at full speed as he burst past the messenger and began to march down the hallway, barely suppressing his anger. Who ever dared touch Eren would die for it, if it was the last thing Levi did.

 

Mikasa quickly caught up and began talking to him about plans for finding Eren, routes to search and criminals to interrogate, but it was all background noise to Levi as his anger roared through his head.

 

He would get Eren back and he would kill anyone who had dared to take him.

________________________

 

The rain slowed to a stop by the time morning came, but that did little to help Eren or his soaking wet clothing. The men hadn't stopped riding since they took him. Ever since the sun rose, Keiji and Henning had been watching their surroundings more, paranoid about being followed.

 

They rode in silence, the only noise around them was the beating of the horses hooves on the ground. They kept going until the sun dipped in the sky and moon came out again, finally coming to a rest near a field at the edge of the forest.

 

They had a few more miles before they were out of the woods and then much farther to go after that, but the small meadow in front of them was still comforting to Keiji and Henning, like they were that much closer to being done with the job.

 

Henning had announced they were staying through the night if everything went well so the horses could continue to take them tomorrow without exhaustion or injury.

 

They had immediately begun to unpack when they reached their camp, setting up two tents and a small fire pit so they could make dinner and warm up. The lack of rain during the day let some of the wood dry out and they were able to get a fire going before long. Keiji and Henning had also been soaking all day, but had coats and changes of clothes to make it better.

 

As soon as they reached camp, neither of them cared about Eren any more, more focused on getting food and going to sleep.

 

Henning had taken Eren off the horse and tied him to a tree next to his tent. His chest and arms were tied together around the tree and the ropes on his wrists were taken off after he was tied up, letting the blood flow back into his fingertips properly. He sat in a cold slimy puddle of mud while his capturers dressed in warm clothes and went about preparing some food.

 

Eren’s pajamas were terrible at keeping him warm, especially after all the rain, clinging to his skin like a thick film. He wasn’t even wearing shoes, his feet and toes freezing as he sat there helplessly. He felt awful in general, the binds on his wrists and legs had started cutting him on the trip, making him ache even more. He had a pounding headache, an ice-cold body, and cuts all over from the ropes.

 

The only thing that kept Eren’s hopes up was that Levi had probably been told what happened by now and was on his way to rescue him. He repeated that to himself all day to keep his strength up and all night to ignore the hunger in his stomach that seemed to be eating him alive.

 

Neither of his capturers fed him, happy to eat to their heart's content without sharing a morsel with him. The only thing they gave him was a few sips of water and a thin blanket before they went into their tents and fell asleep for the night.

 

It barely covered him, but Eren huddled under its warmth, knees drawn to his chest to conserve any body heat that he had. He spent the entire night like that, shivering and dozing off for a few minutes at a time before jerking awake at the sound of wildlife.

 

_Levi will come. Levi will save me. Levi would never abandon me._

 

Eren chanted that to himself until the pink streaks of dawn rose in the sky.

_______________________

 

“Where the hell is he?” Levi screamed at his advisors, rage dripping from every word. These were supposed to be the smartest men in his empire and all that he had to show for it were dead-ends and failures.

 

It had been a week since Eren was taken and Levi was losing it, snapping at his guards and advisors on a daily basis. It hurt Mikasa to see her supposedly untouchable brother this broken up over Eren’s disappearance and after he dismissed the terrified men with a deep growl, she tried to talk to him.

 

“Levi...you need to take care of yourself. You are falling apart right now. If you want to find Eren, you need to get some rest and eat a proper meal. You are going to run yourself into the ground at this rate.”

 

The seething glare she got in response was expected, but not welcome as he rose from his seat and stalked out of the room.

 

Before he reached the door to exit he turned and faced Mikasa. “Do you think if I take the night off and sleep it away, who ever took Eren is going to do the same for him? Do you think if I treat myself to lavish meals, that I'll be able to protect Eren from harm? I need soldiers to put one hundred and ten percent of themselves into finding Eren, but if I’m not willing to do the same, it’s all just empty talk.” Having finished speaking, Levi turned and left the room.

 

He moved through the hallways with a purpose, long strides taking him to his room. But as soon as the door closed behind him, the fight in him disappeared. All that was left was the husk of a man whose love was taken from him.

 

Levi had been sorting through his feelings for Eren for years, hiding behind the title of ‘Master’ to disguise the reason his heart rate picked up when Eren entered a room or how excited he got when Eren gave him one of his signature smiles. The moment he had heard Eren was gone changed everything though.

 

He had held out hope that he would figure out how to share his emotions with Eren one day, but the thought that it was all stolen from him by strangers kidnapping Eren was too much. He kept how he felt for Eren locked away for too long and he refused to hold back how he felt any more. He was going to find Eren and get him back, no matter what.

 

A knock on the door brought Levi back to the present and he made sure he was presentable before opening it. Erwin stood in the doorway with a hopeful look on his face.

 

“Two citizens reportedly saw suspicious men traveling through the forests near their towns. The tips came from two different areas so I was sending two sets of soldiers out to search the areas and I’m manning one of the expeditions. I wanted to see if you were well-enough to head the other.”

 

He wasn't going to let Eren disappear without a fight.

 

“Where will I be searching?”

__________________

 

Henning was definitely the leader out of the pair, always ordering Eren around while Keiji sat in the background or did as he said. Henning choose if Eren ate or not and if he got any water. Eren was completely at his mercy and when Henning woke him up on the seventh day of his capture, he knew something was definitely wrong.

 

Any attempts at getting free or yelling for help were met with punishment from Henning who was trying to make sure they kept a low profile as they traveled. As time wore on and Eren got more desperate for rescue by trying to escape or get attention for nearby people, Henning got more aggressive, hurting Eren more to make sure he stayed meek and docile.

 

Keiji tried to argue that they shouldn’t to hurt him too much so they still get paid by the buyer they had lined up, but Henning quickly talked those concerns away. The buyer only cared if Eren was still breathing so he was free to be their personal punching bag until then.

 

He was smacked or kicked as punishment for whatever they saw fit to hurt him for doing. Eren’s wrongdoings didn’t need to be much more than simply asking for more water or saying Levi’s name to get him in trouble. His two kidnappers almost seemed to enjoy hurting him, watching him cry and beg them to stop hurting him.

 

They alway had dark hateful looks on their faces when they tormented him and when Eren saw that look in Henning’s eyes, he began to panic. _What did I do?_ Eren began to question himself as Henning watched him. _Did I say something in my sleep? What’s going to happen to me?_

 

Looking around, Eren noted that everything was packed up and ready to go, just like every other day they had been out here. The only difference was that Keiji was on Henning’s horse, waiting for Henning to do whatever their plan was.

 

Last night, Keiji’s horse collapsed, exhausted from how hard they were pushing him, making it useless to them. The pair had argued about it for hours, trying to figure out a solution to get the rest of the way to the buyer. From the looks on their faces, it seems like they came up with one.

 

The ropes on his ankles and knees were removed and he was pulled into a standing position, although Henning still held him in a tight grip to prevent him from trying to run. He had only been untied a few times and knew this meant something big was changing.

 

Henning started talking as he moved around, tying rope around a loop on the back of the saddle. “Keiji is riding with me today on the horse since his is fucking useless now. You’re going to be following behind us on foot since there is no other room for you. Be a good boy and you won’t get hurt, got it?”

 

Henning untied and re-tied Eren’s hands so they were in front of him and connected the long rope connect to the back of the saddle. The weight of what they wanted from him just started to hit Eren. They wanted to run behind the horse and keep up or risk falling and being dragged behind in the mud and leaves on the ground.

 

Once they were sure he was secured properly, Henning hopped on the horse and began moving. They moved at a slower pace than other days, little more than a jog, but for Eren it might as well have been sprinting.

 

He had barely been fed or given water since they kidnapped him and he gotten sick from being so cold and wet all the time. Heavy coughing shook his form as he stumbled along behind them. All the punishments he received just made it all that much harder to move, bringing tears to his eyes and making him whimper.

 

Overall, Eren was surprised he was still on his feet at all, subconsciously remembering to just keep putting one foot in front of the other as his mind retreated to a fantasy he had made to help him get through all of this. His fantasy was Levi standing next to him, encouraging him for being so brave and strong while reminding Eren to just hold on a little longer until he got there. It had helped Eren keep going everyday when his body felt so weak and powerless.

 

Keiji had taunted him a few times that Levi wasn’t trying to save him since he had plenty of other whores to keep him company, but Eren ignored him. Levi would save him. There was no doubt in his mind.

 

As the day wore on, mud coated Eren’s body along with stray leaves and small sticks, making him look almost wild. His breathing was ragged from the exertion and his cough while his head was spinning from a lack of food or water.

 

Henning spotted a stream and made them stop, taking a small lunch break so that they didn’t completely wreck Eren’s stamina before the day was up. He was even given water and a little bread to keep his strength up.

 

They left Eren tied to the horse and sat down on some of the smooth rocks on the river side a dozen feet away.

 

Henning fell asleep as the river lulled him to unconsciousness with soft sounds and Keiji stayed next to him, going over the map and where they were headed. They were getting close to their destination and once Eren was out of their possession, the two could sneak away with a fortune and without a soul knowing what they had done.

 

Eren sat in the dirt, running his fingers over a smooth stone he had found. He looked around their little clearing as he sat, taking in the nature around him, taunting him with a freedom he didn’t have. He still hung onto the hope that Levi would save him, but it felt more and more distant. He felt too frail to last for much longer, unsure if Levi would get to him in time,

 

His eyes were growing heavy with sleep as he stared into the trees before they shot open in surprise. No more than forty feet away, through some brush and trees, was Hanji. She was sitting on her horse, drinking some water and examining a map.

 

Eren’s heart leapt in his chest. He had been right, _Levi was looking for him and he was close! Hanji was going to see him and take him bac-_

As he watched in excitement, Hanji made some mark on her map and tucked it away before she began moving away.

 

_She hadn't seen him. She was leaving!_

 

Bolting to his feet, Eren didn’t even think before he pulled back his arm and threw the rock he had been playing with square at her back. He needed to get her attention, this was the only way.

 

The rock hit her right between her shoulder blades and she let out a little cry before looking around. Eren winced at the noise and peaked at Keiji, but he hadn't heard it over the low dim of the river and Eren let out a sigh of relief.

 

Hanji turned her horse around and was peering through the thick bushes to try to find what cause a rock to hit her. She suddenly froze as she saw Eren, tied up, muddy and injured, but alive, only a couple dozen feet from her.

 

Jumping off her horse and tying her to a tree, Hanji quickly crept towards Eren, staying low and quiet in the bushes to avoid detection. As she got to the edge of the clearing, about fifteen feet from Eren, she paused. She couldn't just go charging in there without more information about the situation.

 

Looking at Eren, she mouthed ‘How many?’

 

Eren quickly understood and played along, miming back to her. ‘Two men. One is sleeping, the other is distracted.’

 

Hanji nodded and thought to herself for a second before drawing her knife and creeping out of the cover of the forest to get closer to Eren. She couldn’t let an opportunity like this slip away, she had to get Eren back for her Emperor or Levi was going to tear himself apart searching.

 

Reaching Eren, Hanji made quick work of his bonds, cutting his gag and the ropes on his wrists to free him. At close range, the damage was worse than she had assumed, cuts and bruises marred his skin while he stifled a cough. He was going to need medical help before he would be better, but the physical act of having Eren close already soothed Hanji, knowing she could handle Eren’s kidnappers. Peeking over their horse, Hanji finally spotted Eren’s two capturers.

 

Not one to waste a chance, Hanji dashed forward and tackled Keiji, quickly pinning him to the ground and tying him up before doing the same to Henning who was just beginning to stir at the sounds of commotion. They were immobilized in a matter of minutes, tied similarly to how Eren had been so that they couldn’t move, and Hanji looked over her shoulder to smile at him.

 

“Don’t worry, Eren. I got ‘em. They aren’t going anywhere and Levi some pretty intense punishments lined up for them for hurting you.”

 

Eren smiled at that, happiness filling him with a bouncy energy he knew wouldn’t last long in his weakened state. “Where are the others? Where is Levi?”

 

Hanji smiled at that and nodded her head in the direction she had been headed in. “We split up to search the area for you and I was on my way back when you hit me with that rock.” Reaching down to her waist, she pulled out a hunting horn and blew it, letting out a low bellowing sound that told everyone else where she was.

 

Hanji had Eren sit and drink some water as hoof beats drew closer and finally burst into the clearing. Oluo and Erd were first, followed by Gunther. Finally, the man Eren had been dying to see for a week broke through the bush, ready to take on whatever threat Hanji had found.

 

The sight of Eren, alive, in front of him made Levi weak in the knees and he quickly dismounted, racing over to Eren like he was possessed. Eren also got up and ran to Levi, abandoning Hanji who was watching with a wide grin on her face.

 

They meet in the middle in a tight hug, Levi wrapped his arms around Eren’s waist and his head, holding him to his chest in a crushing embrace. Eren wrapped his arms around Levi’s neck, clinging to him like if he didn’t this would all disappear. Tears filled Eren’s eyes and he sniffled quietly, relief and happiness flooding through him in a giant wave.

 

Hanji and Oluo made quick work of loading up Henning and Keiji who had gone silent in shock as they realized they had been caught.

 

Pulling away from Levi slightly, Eren watched them get loaded into a cart hooked up behind Gunther’s horse and handcuffed to the side with a grunt. It felt like it wasn’t enough, Eren wanted revenge for what they had done to him, but he trusted Levi to make sure they paid for hurting him.

 

As the kidnappers were loaded up and other soldiers who had heard the horn arrived, Levi stared the kidnappers with hatred. They were the ones who took his Eren, and they would pay for it.

 

A coughing fit from Eren pulled him out of his anger and replaced it with concern. He had seen the condition Eren was in when he rode up, but up close it was even worse than he had assumed. “Eren, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”

 

As the fit subsided, Eren nodded to Levi’s questions, not wanting to speak and set off another fit of coughing. Levi’s eyebrows furrowed and he scooped Eren up, lifted him up on his horse, and rode off with a short command to his soldiers to bring the prisoners back to the castle and send word to Erwin that Eren had been found.

 

Levi wrapped an arm around Eren to keep him close and safe then took off, pushing his horse as fast as it could to get back to the castle. Eren needed medical treatment, some food, and a shower. Levi wouldn’t dare deprive his sweetheart of those any longer than it took to get back home.

_________________________

 

Reaching the castle, Levi quickly carried Eren up to his room and entered the bathroom. Eren needed medical treatment, but he was caked in too much mud to examine him as he was so Levi quickly went about bathing him, wiping the dirt, mud, and dried blood, off of him with a soft wash cloth while Eren soaked in the bathtub.

 

Eren laid in the steaming water, letting Levi wash the mud off of his body in slow soft swipes of the cloth. The tub was refilled twice before he was clean enough that the water didn’t turn brown around him.

 

It was a blessing and a curse to be clean though as it revealed the extent of his injuries to Levi’s eyes. Levi’s hands froze in their journey over his body, taking in the thick rope cuts on his wrists, knees, and ankles as well as the bruises spotting his legs and chest.

 

With the mud gone, Eren’s cuts started to bleed again, snapping Levi out of his haze as he lifted Eren’s now clean form out of the water. He was wrapped up in a soft towel and carried into Levi’s bedroom where the Emperor’s personal doctor was waiting. Eren was placed in a comfortable lounge chair in front of the fireplace as the doctor examined his body.

 

His cuts were all cleaned and bandaged, the doctor took extra care to be gentle with him as Levi watched over his shoulder. Ointments were rubbed onto his bruises to help them heal and he was given a tonic to help with his cough.

 

Eren was holding Levi’s hand the whole time, squeezing it whenever he got scared. Levi would order the doctor to go slower or stop what he was doing until Eren felt comfortable again.

 

The doctor asked if he needed to be examined for rape and when he shook his head quickly, a cloud that the trio hadn't realized was there disappeared. The doctor took his leave after that, telling Levi that Eren had lost weight and would gradually need to regain it to recover fully.

 

Finally left alone, Levi helped Eren slip into thick pajama pants and a sweater before tucking him into bed. Neither of them spoke, simply working together like two pieces of a puzzle. Levi got Eren settled in bed, propped up on some pillows and tucked under a thick comforter before he brought over the tray a servant had delivered with their dinner on it.

 

Levi got into bed next to Eren, holding Eren against his side as Eren ate his food and replenished his strength.

 

Eren curled into Levi’s side as he ate, thankful to even be alive, let alone with Levi.

 

The pair stayed quiet, still trying to process what had happened. Eren finished his food and Levi gave the tray to one of the soldiers outside to dispose of before they both got into bed.

 

Eren’s head was tucked under Levi’s and Levi’s arms held Eren next to him with a firm, but gentle strength. The room was silent for a while before Levi spoke in a quiet whisper.

 

“I thought I lost you. When I heard that you were gone...I was terrified.”

 

Eren closed his eyes like that would stop the raw pain in Levi’s voice from reaching him. He had been hurting and wishing for Levi, but he had never really expected Levi to feel the same.

 

“When the messenger told me that they didn’t know where you were, I felt like I couldn’t breathe...I didn’t know I would do without you being right here with me. I just...I-...never go where I can’t follow. Promise me that you won’t leave me like that again if you can help it.” Levi whispered, voice soft from pain.

 

“I promise, Levi.” Eren quickly responded, not liking how vulnerable Levi sounded. “I felt the same when they took me, but...the thought of you finding me, rescuing me kept me going through all of the pain and neglect. The thought of you protected me from giving up and I realized something that I should have said weeks ago.”

 

Eren took as deep a breath as he could in his current condition before speaking in an attempt to steady himself.

 

“I love you. You ground me and you protect me and you keep me safe and warm exactly when I need you to. I just...I love you so much, Levi.”

 

“I love you too.” Levi whispered, feeling lighter than air as Eren told Levi that he was in love with him. “Fuck, I’ve been in love with you for years and I’ve never managed to get my head together enough to say that to you. You are so damn precious to me. I don’t know what I would do without you right here next to me, I’ve been a mess for the past week.”

 

Eren couldn't help but smile as he heard Levi talk about how important he was to him.

 

Their lips meet in the middle as they shared a sweet kiss, taking in the feeling of each other as they shared the tender moment. Levi let himself revel in the warmth of the moment before he pulled back.

 

Eren opened his eyes when he felt Levi pull back and he cocked his head in confusion, but Levi just laughed quietly.

 

“I would love to take this further, but you need to rest and get better before we can do anything else.”

 

Eren opened his mouth to argue that he was perfectly healthy to continue kissing his _lover_ , but a twinge of pain in his side convinced him otherwise.

 

Nodding, Eren laid down and relaxed, beginning to drift off in Levi’s arms before something popped into his mind.

 

Opening one of this eyes and peering up at levi, Eren whispered, “Promise you'll still be here when I wake up?”

 

“I swear.” Levi whispered back, his voice warm with love.

 

With that the two settled into bed, ready to fall blissfully to sleep without a care in the world.

 

Levi wasn’t even worried about any second attempts at taking his sweetheart.

 

Not with thirty extra guards posted around his quarters.

 

Nobody messes with what's his and gets away with it.

**Author's Note:**

> Please Comment and Kudos Below!


End file.
